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Every Tet holiday, almost all Vietnamese families prepare a tray of candied fruits and sweets in the living room as a tradition. This tray usually contains a variety of candied fruits, cakes, and sweets to offer to guests visiting the house.
Tet jam is not simply a snack; its sweet flavor is a bridge connecting families, allowing them to gather, reminisce about the past year, and share their plans and wishes for the new year. It also contributes to preserving traditions and cultural values. Nowadays, everything is modern, with tastier and more unique candies and sweets readily available. But no matter how many choices there are, tradition remains: as the new year approaches, families eagerly buy and make jam to place in trays, adding to the festive atmosphere. This year, many young people are innovating and creating creative dishes by combining unique ingredients.
Chewy apple jam
Dried red apples have taken the market by storm, winning the hearts of many consumers. Inspired by this appeal, many young people have created chewy apple jam from the familiar green-skinned apple. With their natural crispness when fresh, green-skinned apples, when processed into jam, offer a soft, juicy texture that is completely different.
This unique, chewy, and fragrant candied apple jam will surely be a very attractive snack for many families during Tet (Vietnamese New Year).
To obtain those glossy, attractive candied apple slices, a rather elaborate processing method is required. First, fresh, high-quality apples are thoroughly soaked in lime water to preserve their natural color and create a crisp texture. Then, they are blanched in boiling water to remove impurities and allow the sugar to penetrate deeply. Next, the apples are marinated with pure white granulated sugar and simmered over medium heat.
The finished apple jam will have a deep yellow color with a slight sheen from the sugar syrup, along with an addictive sweet and sour taste.
After a while, the apples gradually turn a golden yellow, with a thick layer of sugar coating each piece. Finally, to complete the jam, the apples are dried in the oven or sun-dried. When the last drops of water evaporate, you will have glossy, attractive red apple jam pieces with a sweet, fragrant flavor. With its distinctive delicious flavor and unique preparation method, this dish will surely be a novel highlight to offer guests during Tet (Vietnamese New Year).
Cherry tomato jam
Cherry tomato jam is a wonderful creation, possessing just the right consistency, harmoniously combining the refreshing sourness characteristic of tomatoes with the gentle sweetness of sugar. With each bite, you'll feel the sourness gradually dissolve on your tongue, followed by a soft sweetness spreading throughout your mouth. To make this delicious jam, ripe, plump cherry tomatoes, free from bruises, must be carefully selected. The tomatoes are then soaked in lime water to preserve their natural color and create a crisp texture.
Not only is it delicious, but cherry tomato jam with its vibrant red color will also bring good luck to your whole family in the early days of the new year.
After being soaked in lime water, cherry tomatoes are rinsed and marinated with a sufficient amount of sugar. This marinating process not only helps the tomatoes absorb the sugar evenly but also allows them to release their juices, facilitating the complete dissolution of the sugar.
This dish is delicious and visually appealing, yet incredibly simple to make.
You can adjust the amount of sugar to your taste; reduce the sugar if you prefer a refreshing sourness, and increase it slightly if you want a sweeter flavor. Once the sugar has dissolved, transfer the cherry tomatoes to a pan and simmer over low heat. Under the influence of the heat, the sugar syrup will gradually thicken, the cherry tomatoes will start to shrink and turn a glossy red color. To enhance the flavor, you can sprinkle in a little salt or sugar according to your preference.
Passion fruit peel jam
Who says only grapefruit and kumquat peels can be used to make jam? Young people today have shown great skill in transforming sweet and sour passion fruit into irresistible, chewy jam. With a little creativity, passion fruit peel – often discarded – has become the main ingredient for a unique Tet (Lunar New Year) snack, offering a novel and appealing flavor.
This chewy passion fruit peel jam is incredibly unique, with a delicious and unusual sweet and sour taste.
To make delicious passion fruit peel jam, you need to choose fresh, ripe passion fruit. Ripe passion fruit is usually heavy and doesn't have seeds that move when shaken. After selecting the right fruits, separate the flesh and extract the juice to add a distinctive flavor to the jam. The passion fruit peel is thinly peeled to get the white pith inside, then cut into long, bite-sized strips. Finally, the mixture of passion fruit peel, sugar, and juice is simmered over low heat. During the simmering process, the sugar gradually melts and permeates each strip of passion fruit peel, creating chewy, fragrant jam.
Fruit jelly jam
Fruit jelly is a novel variation that is more popular among young people than traditional jelly. With a variety of fruits such as strawberries, mangoes, dragon fruit, etc., fruit jelly has won over the taste buds of many.
This jam, a blend of traditional and modern styles, has won over many food lovers.
While retaining its traditional long, stringy shape, fruit jelly has brought a fresh twist with its natural aroma and vibrant colors from fresh, delicious fruits. To create these delicious jelly strands, you need to combine jelly powder with pure fruit juice. After soaking the jelly powder in the juice, the mixture is simmered over medium heat. This process helps preserve the fresh flavor of the fruit, creating jelly strands that are both chewy and fragrant. If fruit juice is unavailable, you can also use fruit jam to add color and flavor to the dish.
Once the jelly has set, use a serrated knife to cut it into long strips, arrange them on a tray, and dry them until the jelly is firm, dry, and coated with sugar.
No matter how many years pass or how modern things become, the tray of candied fruits remains a favorite among generations and an indispensable part of every traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) celebration. This year, Tet is coming early, with only about three weeks left, so hurry to the kitchen and make some candied fruits to enjoy with tea!
